Self-loading material or equipment transporter

ABSTRACT

A transporter (10) for moving itself and a load (12) between storage and work positions at different levels. The transporter (10) includes a lift assembly (16) and a support assembly (14) pivotally or slidably mounted on the lift assembly (16). The lift assembly (16) is operatively connected to the support assembly (14) for movement between transporting and storage positions. The support assembly (14) includes wheels (26, 37) for providing movement for the entire unit in either the transport position or the storage position.

This application is a §371 application based on PCT/US/95/07359, whichis a continuation-in-part of U.S. Application No. 08/257,798 filed Jun.10, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,386.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a transporter for liftingequipment to an elevated surface and for lowering the equipmenttherefrom, and more particularly to a self-loading and unloadingtransporter which includes a support assembly and a lift assembly forraising or lowering both the transporter and the load from one level toanother as a complete self-contained unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Heavy and bulky material or equipment are difficult to handle both fromdifferent heights and different locations. The equipment used, however,must be readily transportable from one location to another. Forinstance, a tool box may be used at a variety of different job sites andwill typically be hauled from one site to the next by a pickup truck orvan.

One problem with loading such equipment as a conventional tool box isthe loading and unloading of the box into and out of the vehicle. Often,the tool box is too heavy to manually load and unload without risk ofinjury or it takes numerous trips to move the equipment between thevehicle to a work location. Consequently, a hoist or forklift will beused to load and unload the equipment. This, of course, requires suchadditional machinery at the job site.

On the other hand, the tool box is left loaded on the vehicle. However,this presents additional problems since the vehicle and the tools areoften required at separate locations.

There are many other situations where a relatively heavy load must beraised to an elevated surface or platform or lowered to a surface. Thistypically requires some type of separate equipment at the designatedsite for handling such heavy loads. It would be advantageous to have aself-contained assembly which included the equipment and a mechanism forindependently loading and unloading the equipment.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention features a transporter having a support assemblyfor moving the transporter between different locations and a liftassembly to move a load such as a storage container or platform betweena lower level and a higher level. The transporter is self-loading andunloading. In other words, both the transporter and the load move fromone level to another level as a complete self-contained unit.

The storage container may be in the form of a tool box or a platform forsupporting various types of loads or equipment. The transportergenerally includes a support assembly for transporting the storagecontainer and/or load to various job sites and a lift assembly forelevating the storage container and/or load as required at the worksite. According to a particular preferred embodiment of the invention,the support assembly is generally C-shaped.

The lift assembly is mounted on the support assembly to transport thecontainer or platform between work or storage positions. The liftassembly is configured to facilitate movement of the container orplatform between a lower level and a surface disposed at a higher level.The lift assembly also is used to raise the support assembly to astorage position with respect to the lift assembly. In one embodiment,the support assembly is pivoted about the lift assembly and lowered ontothe raised surface for transporting the container on the raised surface.In another embodiment the support assembly is slid or shifted laterallywith respect to the lift assembly after the load is deposited on thehigher surface. The support assembly is then raised to an elevatedposition, slid or shifted back to its original position, and loweredonto the higher surface for moving the load on that higher surface. Thelift assembly raises the container to the higher level and preferablywith the container supported over the raised surface. The lift assemblyalso allows these movements to be reversed so that the equipment may bemoved from the higher level to the lower level.

One of the primary objects of the invention is to provide a transporterwhich has the capability to transport and elevate heavy equipment oversurfaces at different elevations.

A further object is to provide a transporter wherein the supportassembly can be quickly and easily stored with the storage container.

Another object of the invention is to provide the support assembly withtwo sets of roller assemblies for transporting the transporter at bothtransporting and storage positions.

One of the primary advantages of the transporter is to reduce the timerequired to set up the equipment for ready access to the user.

Another advantage of the transporter is the ability of the lift assemblyto raise and lower the platform or container in relation to the supportassembly or raise and lower the support assembly in relation to thecontainer or platform.

A further advantage of the transporter is the ability of the supportassembly to fully sustain the load without manual effort or reliance onother structure.

Another advantage of the transport is that the entire assembly istransportable at either level using the support assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will hereafter be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein like referenced numerals denote likeelements, and;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the transporter according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the support assembly;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the support assembly partly broken away to showthe counterbalance and lock mechanisms;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the lift bar;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the container partly broken away to show thelift assembly;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the container cut away to show the chain driveassembly for rotating the lead screws;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the cross bar with the lead screws shownthreaded through the nuts in the cross bar;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the powered chain drive mechanism;

FIG. 9 is a view of the transporter with the lift assembly and acontainer shown in the transport position;

FIG. 10 is a side view of the support assembly pivoted to the invertedposition with respect to the container;

FIG. 11 is a side view of the folding support assembly shown in thestorage position;

FIG. 12 is a view taken on line 12--12 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 13 is a side view of the transporter with the container shown inposition to be loaded on the deck of a truck.

FIG. 14 is a view showing the container in the elevated position;

FIG. 15 is a view of the container supported above the deck of thetruck;

FIG. 16 is a view showing the container resting on the deck of the truckwith the support assembly elevated;

FIG. 17 is a side view of the transporter with the support assemblyshown pivoted to the storage position;

FIG. 18 shows the secondary set of rollers in contact with the deck ofthe truck;

FIG. 19 is a view of the transporter moved to the front of the deck;

FIG. 20 is a view showing the container set on the deck and thesecondary set of rollers raised above contact with the load deck and thesupport assembly collapsed;

FIG. 21 is a schematic side view of a second embodiment of thetransporter with its support assembly shown in its the transportposition, in its intermediate raised position and in its invertedposition;

FIG. 22 is a schematic side view similar to FIG. 21 of a thirdembodiment of the transporter with its support assembly shown in itstransport position and in its intermediate position;

FIG. 23 is a schematic side view of the transporter of FIG. 22 with itssupport assembly shown in its inverted position;

FIG. 24 is a schematic side view of a fourth embodiment of thetransporter with its support assembly shown in its transport position,in its intermediate raised position, and again in its elevated position;

FIG. 25 is a schematic side view of the transporter of FIG. 24 with itssupport assembly shown pivoted to its storage position;

FIG. 26 is a schematic side view of a fifth embodiment of thetransporter with its support assembly shown in its transport positionand in its intermediate raised position; and

FIG. 27 is a schematic side view of the transporter of FIG. 26 with itssupport assembly shown in its elevated position and in its storageposition.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail itis to be understood that the invention is not limited to its applicationto the details of construction and the arrangement of the components setforth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Theinvention is capable of other embodiments or being practiced or carriedout in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseologyand terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description andshould not be regarded as limiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to a load and go transporter 10, as shownin FIG. 1, for moving a storage container 12 such as a tool box or thelike to and from locations at different height levels. The transporter10 generally includes a support assembly 14, FIGS. 2 and 3, a cross tube44, FIG. 4, for connecting the lift assembly 16, FIG. 5, to the supportassembly 14 with a container 12 connected to the lift assembly 16. Thesupport assembly 14 provides the means for moving the transporter 10between storage and work positions. The lift assembly 16, as shown inFIG. 5, provides the means for raising and lowering the container 12 topositions at different elevations.

The support assembly 14 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 generally includes abase frame 20 having a pair of legs 22 interconnected at one end by across member 24. A primary roller assembly 23 in the form of a set ofswivel type wheel assemblies 26 are provided at the front and back ofthe legs 22. A foot actuated lock assembly 25 may be provided on thebottom of one or both of the legs 22 for locking the wheel assemblies 26in a fixed position. A pair of vertical tube assemblies 30 are mountedon the back of each of the legs 22 to support a pair of horizontalbrackets 34 mounted on the upper end of the tube assemblies 30 in aparallel relation to each other and to the legs 22. A secondary set ofrollers 35 are mounted on the outside of each of the brackets 34 withthe rollers 37 located above the brackets 34.

The lift assembly 16, as shown in FIGS. 5 through 9, includes a lowerrectangular panel 36, and an upper rectangular panel 38 enclosed by wallpanels 40. A vertical lead screw 42 is mounted in each of the corners ofthe panels 36 and 38. The lead screws 42 are supported therein by thrustand radial bearings 41 provided at each end of lead screws 42 in thepanels 36 and 38. A cross tube 44 is mounted on the upper end of eachpair of lead screws 42 with a nut 46 mounted on each lead screw 42 andcaptured in the ends of the cross tubes 44. A sprocket 48 is mounted onthe bottom of each lead screw 42. An electric drive gear motor 50, FIG.8, is connected to a drive sprocket 52 through a gear box 51 mounted onthe lower panel 36. A hand crank may also be connected to the gear box51 to actuate the lift assembly. A guide sprocket 53 is mounted on thepanel 36 on each side of the sprocket 52 to align a roller chain 54 withthe sprockets 48 on the bottom of the lead screws 42. On actuation ofthe motor 50 the lead screws 42 rotate with respect to the nut 46raising the lift assembly 16 up or down with respect to the cross tubes44. The cross tubes 44 are provided with pins 45 which pass throughopenings 47 in the mounting brackets 34 for supporting the cross tube 44on the support assembly 14.

The mounting brackets 34 are provided with a lock lever assembly 70 forlocking the support assembly 14 in the upright and in the upside downpositions. In this regard the lock lever assembly 70 includes a pair oflock plates 71, each having a notch 72 and 74 in opposite ends of eachof the plates 71. One plate 71 is mounted on the pin 45 on the outsideof each of the cross tubes 44. A lock pin 76 is mounted on the bracket34 in a position to engage one of the notches 72, 74. The lock pin 76 isbiased by springs 78 into engagement with the notches 72 and 74. Thelock pin 76 is withdrawn from the notches 72, 74 by means of a footactuated pedal 75 which is connected to the lock pin 76 by a cable 77.The support assembly 14 can then pivot about the pivot pin 45 asdescribed hereinafter.

Once the lift assembly 16 is positioned above the platform or deck 80 ofthe vehicle, the motor 50 is reversed to lower the container 12 onto thedeck 80, the lift assembly 16 continues to run after the container isseated on the platform to raise the wheels 26 approximately 6 to 8inches off the ground.

The support assembly 14 is then manually pivoted about pins 45 to astorage position with respect to the lift assembly 16. The supportassembly 14 is biased by a gas spring 56 to the storage position. Inthis regard, a plate 55 is keyed to each of the pins 45 provided on eachof the cross tubes 44. A cable or chain 60 has one end connected to anarm 62 of the plate 55 and the other end connected to a trolley 65 atthe end of the gas spring 56. The gas spring 56 is mounted in each ofthe lower legs 22 of the support assembly 14. The chain 60 is wrappedaround sprockets 64 and 66 at each end of the tubular uprights 30 withthe end of each chain 60 connected to the trolley 65 at the end of thegas spring 56. When the support assembly 14 is lifted up it will pivotaround the pins 45. The chain 60 will pivot around the end of the arm 62on the plate 55 as the support assembly pivots to the storage positionas shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.

The legs will initially pivot approximately 30° to 45° by thecounterbalance force of the gas spring 56. The operator adds additionallift to rotate the legs past the horizontal position. As the legs goover horizontal the lock pin 76 will move into the notch 74 in the plate70 to lock the support assembly in the upside down position as shown inFIG. 10.

The support assembly 14 may be folded to a storage position as shown inFIG. 11 by pivoting the lower section about a pivot pin 84. In thisregard, the uprights 30 are split into two sections 30A and 30B. A notch86 is provided in the end of section 30B. A pin 88 mounted on the lowersection 30A is biased by a spring 90 into engagement with the notch 86.The pin 88 is connected to the foot pedal 75 by a cable 79 and isreleased from the notch 86 at the same time that the foot pedal 75 isactuated to release the support assembly so that the support assemblycan pivot to the storage position.

Once the support assembly 14 is locked in the upside down position, thelift mechanism is reversed so that the support assembly 14 movesdownward. The secondary roller assembly 35 on the support assembly 14will engage the deck and the container will then be lifted off of thedeck so that it is supported by the secondary roller assembly 35. Thesecondary roller assembly 35 can then be used to move the transporter tothe end of the platform.

Referring to FIGS. 13 through 20, the sequence in the operation of thetransporter 10 is shown for loading a heavy duty unit into a pickuptruck. The transporter as shown in FIG. 13 is initially rolled intoalignment with the back of a truck 82 which is partially broken away toshow the deck 80. The container 12 is supported by the lift assembly 16which is shown supported on the brackets 34 of the support assembly 14.The lift assembly 16 is actuated to elevate the container 12 to aposition above the deck 80 of the truck as shown in FIG. 14. Thetransporter 14 is then rolled into engagement with a bumper 85 with thelift frame 16 suspended above the deck 80 as shown in FIG. 15. The liftassembly 16 is lowered to set the container 12 on the deck 80 and a pairof attached loading legs 90 onto the bumper 85. The support assembly 14is then elevated as shown in FIG. 16 sufficiently to clear the wheelassembly 26 from the ground. The support assembly 14 is then rotated tothe storage position as shown in FIG. 17. As noted herein the supportassembly 14 is biased by the gas spring 56 so that the operator caneasily and quickly pivot the support assembly 14 to the storageposition. The lift assembly 16 is then reversed to move the secondaryroller assembly 35 into contact with the deck 82 as shown in FIG. 18.The transporter is pushed forward on the roller assembly 35 to the frontof the deck as shown in FIG. 19. The lift assembly is then actuated toraise the support assembly off the deck 80 so that the container restson the deck.

Referring now to FIG. 21, there is schematically shown a secondembodiment of the transporter of the present invention. In thisembodiment, the support assembly includes a pair of generally L-shapedlegs 100 (only one of which is shown) pivotally mounted on the liftassembly via pin 104. Each leg 100 includes a primary roller assembly onits long section 120 for providing the means for moving the transporterand load at a lower level along the ground, and a secondary rollerassembly on its short section 121 that provides a means for moving thetransporter and load at a higher level on the truck deck. The primaryroller assembly is in the form of a pair of spaced, swivel type wheelassemblies 101 and 102. Wheel assembly 101 is located at the forward orfree end of leg section 120 while wheel assembly 102 is located at therear end of leg section 120 at a position intermediate the ends of leg100. The secondary roller assembly also comprises a pair of wheelassemblies which includes wheel assembly 102 and roller 103. Roller 103is located closely adjacent to pivot pin 104 which pivotally mounts leg100 to the lift assembly. Roller 103 is in the form of an idler rollerrotatably mounted to leg 100.

The lift assembly includes a rack member 140 extending within container141 having teeth 142 along one edge that mesh with a gear 143. Gear 143may be driven by an electric motor (not shown) mounted within container141 or by a hand crank (not shown) to raise and lower legs 100 and/orcontainer 141 as previously described herein.

In operation, the transporter shown in FIG. 21 functions in an identicalmanner as previously described herein with respect to FIGS. 1-20 withthe exception that wheels 101 and 102 function as the means for movingthe transporter and load into the positions shown in FIGS. 13-15. Afterpivoting leg 100 to its inverted position, wheel assembly 102 and roller103 function to provide the means for moving the transporter and load inaccordance with FIGS. 17-20. Thus, in this embodiment, the supportassembly is substantially simplified in structure.

Referring now to FIG. 22, there is shown a third embodiment of thetransporter of the present invention. In this embodiment, the legs 105of the support assembly are substantially L-shaped and include a primaryroller assembly on its long section 122 in the form of a pair of swiveltype wheel assemblies 106 and 107 together with a secondary rollerassembly on its short section 123 in the form of swivel type wheelassembly 107 and roller 108. The operation and function of wheelassemblies 106 and 107 as well as roller 108 is identical to thatdescribed above with respect to FIG. 21. However, in this thirdembodiment, wheel assembly 106 may further be moved between an extendedposition shown in solid lines in FIG. 22 and a folded position shown indotted lines in FIG. 23. This structure provides a more compact storageposition and reduces the arc of leg 105 when pivoting on pin 109 betweenits initial lower position and its second, higher storage position (FIG.23). The split section of leg 105 may be locked and released via lever124 and a spring biased pin 125 in a manner similar to that describedwith respect to FIG. 11.

Referring now to FIGS. 24 and 25, there is illustrated a fourthembodiment of the transporter of the present invention. In thisembodiment, the same wheel assemblies are employed for both moving thetransporter and load along the ground as well as for moving thetransporter and load on the truck deck. This embodiment thus eliminatesthe need for primary and secondary roller assemblies as described withrespect to previous embodiments herein, and integrates their functionsinto a single roller assembly. More particularly, FIG. 24 illustrates aC-shaped leg 110 pivotably mounted via a pivot pin 111 on the liftassembly of the transporter. The lower portion of the support assemblyincludes a leg section 112 on which is mounted a pair of spaced, swiveltype wheel assemblies 113 and 114. A vertical tube assembly 115 ismounted on the back of leg section 112 to support a horizontal bracket116 mounted on the upper end of tube assembly 115 in a parallel relationto leg section 112. As previously noted herein, bracket 116 is pivotallymounted via pin 111 to the lift assembly of the transporter.

In operation, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 24 and 25 initially operatesin a manner identical to that previously described with respect to FIGS.13-16. However, upon pivoting leg 110 upwardly so that tube 115 issubstantially horizontal (FIG. 24), leg section 112 and wheel assemblies113 and 114 may be folded down by pivoting the leg section 112 about apivot pin 117. In this regard, tube 115 may be split into two sectionsas shown best in FIG. 24, and is held between locked and unlockedpositions by a lever and spring biased pin similar to that describedwith respect to FIG. 11. Thus, once folded, leg section 112 and wheelassemblies 113 and 114 may be pivoted downwardly and inwardly until legsection 112 is substantially parallel with tube 115 (FIG. 25) so thatwheel assemblies 113 and 114 are directly over the truck deck 118. Thewheel assemblies 113 and 114 may then be lowered to engage the truckdeck 118. The transporter may now be operated substantially aspreviously described herein with respect to FIGS. 17-20 to move the loadinto the truck.

Referring now to FIGS. 26 and 27, there is illustrated a fifthembodiment of the transporter of the present invention. In thisembodiment, like the embodiment of FIGS. 24 and 25, the same wheelassemblies are employed for both moving the transporter and load alongthe ground as well as for moving the transporter and load on the truckdeck. Thus, the embodiment once again eliminates the need for dualroller assemblies as described with respect to previous embodiments, andintegrates their functions into a single roller assembly like theembodiment of FIGS. 24 and 25. More particularly, FIG. 26 illustrates aC-shaped leg 126 which includes a lower leg section 127 on which ismounted a pair of spaced, swivel-type wheel assemblies 128 and 129. Avertical section 130 is mounted on the back of leg section 127 tosupport a horizontal upper leg section 131 mounted on the upper end ofsection 130 in a parallel relation to leg section 127. Upper leg section131 is in telescoping relation which a bracket 132 which in turn isaffixed to the lift assembly. Thus, the C-shaped support leg 126 may beslid or shifted laterally, i.e. to the left in FIG. 26, so that theforward edge 133 of lower leg section 127 is spaced rearwardly of theedge 134 of deck 135, as will hereinafter be described.

In operation, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 26 and 27 initially operatesin the manner identical to that previously described with respect toFIGS. 13-16. However, upon lifting leg 126 so that wheel assemblies 128and 129 are off the ground, the entire leg 126 may be slid rearwardly onbracket 132 so that, as shown best in FIG. 26, leg 126 hangs in acantilevered manner from bracket 132. In this position, edge 133 isrearwardly spaced from edge 134 so that, as shown best in FIG. 27, leg126 may be raised by the lift assembly to an elevated position such thatwheel assemblies 128 and 129 are spaced slightly above the upper surfaceof deck 135. Thereafter, leg 126 is slid or shifted forwardly on bracket132 until wheel assemblies 128 and 129 are directly over deck 135. Oncein this position, leg 126 and wheel assemblies 128 and 129 may then belowered by the lift assembly to engage truck deck 135. The transportermay then be operated substantially as previously described herein withrespect to FIGS. 17-20 to move the load into the truck.

Thus, it should be apparent that there has been provided in accordancewith the present invention a self-loading material or equipmenttransporter that fully satisfies the objectives and advantages set forthabove. Although the invention has been described in conjunction withspecific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives,modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in theart. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives,modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scopeof the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A transporter for moving itself and a load between a firstsurface disposed at a lower level and a second surface disposed at ahigher level, the transporter comprising:a load-holding member having abottom wall; a lift assembly connected to said load-holding member andoperable to raise and lower said load-holding member; a support assemblyfor supporting said load-holding member, said support assembly includinga leg member rotatably mounted on said lift assembly for movementbetween a lower transport position and an upper stored position whensaid bottom wall is in contact with the second surface to support saidload-holding member on the second surface; and wheel means on said legmember for providing movement for said support assembly, lift assemblyand load-holding member, such that when said leg member is in eithersaid lower transport position or said upper stored position only saidwheel means on said leg member contact the first or second surface. 2.The transporter according to claim 1 wherein said wheel means includes afirst set of rollers for providing movement in said lower transportposition and a second set of rollers for providing movement in saidupper stored position.
 3. The transporter according to claim 1 whereinsaid leg member includes a split section, and lock means for releasablylocking said split section between a rigid position and a foldedposition.
 4. A transporter for moving itself and a load between a firstsurface disposed at a lower level and a second surface disposed at ahigher level, the transporter comprising:a load-holding member; a liftassembly connected to said load-holding member and operable to raise andlower said load-holding member; a support assembly for supporting saidload-holding member, said support assembly including at least onegenerally L-shaped leg member having a long section and a short section,said short section being pivotally mounted on said lift assembly formovement of said leg member between a lower transport position and anupper stored position; a primary roller assembly on said long section ofsaid leg member for providing movement for said support assembly, liftassembly and load-holding member when said leg member is in said lowertransport position; and a secondary roller assembly on said shortsection of said leg member for providing movement for said supportassembly, lift assembly and load-holding member when said leg member isin said upper stored position.
 5. The transporter of claim 4 whereinsaid long section of said leg member includes a split section, and lockmeans for releasably locking said split section between a rigid positionand a folded position.
 6. The transporter of claim 4 wherein said liftassembly includes a rack member and said support assembly includes acorresponding gear for operatively engaging said rack member, whereinsaid lift assembly moves upwardly or downwardly with respect to saidsupport assembly in response to the direction of rotation of said gear.7. The transporter of claim 6 wherein said lift assembly is powered byan electric motor.
 8. The transporter of claim 6 wherein said liftassembly is powered by a hand crank.
 9. A transporter for moving itselfand a container between a first surface disposed at a lower level and asecond surface disposed at a higher level, the transporter comprising:alift assembly connected to the container and operable to raise and lowerthe container; a pair of leg members mounted to the lift assembly forproviding support for the container and the lift assembly, each legmember being rotatable between a lower transport position and an upperstored position when the container is in contact with and supported byeither the first or second surface; and wheel means on each of the legmembers for providing movement of the container, the lift assembly, andthe leg members when the leg members are in either the lower transportposition or the upper stored position.
 10. The transporter of claim 9wherein each of the leg members is generally L-shaped having a longsection and a short section, the short section being pivotally mountedon the lift assembly.
 11. The transporter of claim 10 wherein the wheelmeans includes a primary roller assembly on the long section of each legmember for providing movement when the leg members are in the lowertransport position, and a secondary roller assembly on the short sectionof each leg member for providing movement when the leg members are inthe upper stored position.